Speechless On Temporary Hiatus
by Lady Raven Slaye
Summary: Slightly AU. Mention of rape. When a hanyou, a monk and an archer miko find a barely living demon hunter in the forest, what will follow? The sole survivor of a bandit attack, she refuses to talk. Can she find solace in love? (MxS, IxK)
1. Grey Days

Authoress' Note: Hello and welcome one and all to my new story. I have submitted fictions to this website before on an alternate account, but all together this will be my first Inu Yasha fiction. It will not be for the light of heart, although it will be a romance. It will revolve around Sango and is partly AU. Please, if you read, review. It makes my heart jump with glee when I read your kind words. Thank you for taking the time to read my story, I cannot tell you how much I appreciate it. I wish to evolve as an authoress, and your reviews and constructive remarks will help me achieve that goal.

If you are curious as to why I have submitted this story under an alternate alias, it is because my other account is not so... serious. And although a few hints of comedy will seep their way into my story, it will not be as light hearted as others I have previously written. Although I doubt you will, nonetheless I must say this: Do not as me to reveal my alternate Pen identity to you. Such requests will go unnoticed and ultimately ignored as I do not wish for you to know who I am. I am Lady Raven Slaye, and that is all need be known. That is how you have come and will come to know me and that is how I wish to be known. By that and only that. I can only hope you will understand.

And also let it be known that authoress is an actual word.

Please read on, I hope you enjoy my story.

Reminder: If two or three words are combined 'assuch', 'orassuch' the fault lies not with me but with the website and its QuickEdit 2.03 system.

WARNING: This fiction is rated PG-13 for mention of rape and other mature themes. Nothing graphic will be depicted, however. There will be no lemons, or at least no particularly described lemons. If you are still interested in reading and are in a sound state of mind to deal with the content of this story, please read on.

Disclaimer: The characters and places represented in this story are the property of Rumiko Takahashi, the ingenious mind behind the original graphic novel, _Inu Yasha_.

* * *

Speechless

Chapter One:

Grey Days

The day bore no promise of joy. No promise of hope nor promise of happiness. The atmosphere was heavy with the weight and burden of their long and tiresome journey. The sky was of a dull and dreary grey coloration, the mist looming over the tops of the trees of the thick forest and floating delicately yet gloomily over the deep green lake. Three companions of human appearance wandered the worn path. A man of hair black and eyes violet spoke up suddenly.

"Are you certain there is no village nearby, Inu Yasha?" The young man dressed as a monk spoke to his silver haired comrade. "We have been wandering for days. Surely you can smell the sweet aroma of village cook fires?" He inquired hopefully.

"I've told you once, I've told you a hundred times, Miroku! I can't smell anything but moisture! When I smell a damn village, I'll tell you!" The young hanyou replied snarkily, he was obviously as exhausted and fatigued as his companion.

"Then do you hear the rustling of villager's footsteps? Be reasonable, this path must lead somewhere!" The monk protested. The half demon named Inu Yasha was about to reply when a young girl in strange clothing sauntered up to his side and patted him on the back.

"I think you better leave him alone, Miroku. We're all tired and who knows what he'll do." The dark brown haired girl smiled half-heartedly. The hanyou immediately turned around to face the oddly garbed girl.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" He yelled.

"I was just kidding. Jeeze." The girl with chestnut eyes sighed and trudged ahead. The monk, however, slowed his pace until he was beside his white haired companion.

"Stay calm, Inu Yasha. We are all tired, and taking it out on poor Kagome is not helping our situation at all. Let us just hope we reach a village soon." He reasoned and then quickened his pace once more. The hanyou merely muttered a "feh" as the trio continued their seemingly endless trek along the path.

-X-

The group had finally reached a village, situated between a small forest and a lovely blue lake, within the next day. The monk offered to pay for the inn's fee with false "palm fortunes", which the gullible village women willingly fell for.

They had resided in the village for two nights, regaining their supplies in preparation for their journey to a miko named Kaede's village. It was on the eve of the second night that the young miko archer, Kagome, overheard a trio of village women talking.

"They say the bandits have struck again." One woman said.

"The attacks are coming closer to our village." A second added, fear clearly audible in her tone.

"How do they do it? I have never seen a band of raiders so treacherous." A third inquired.

"I have heard that they control demons with the shards of the Shikon No Tama. That is how they have attacked so many villages in such a short time. Didn't you know?" The first replied. Kagome's ears perked up as she continued to eavesdrop on their conversation. She could not see, but gathered that the third had shaken her head.

"Which village fell victim to them this time?" The second inquired again.

"Not a village. It is said that they lured a group of demon hunters into the forest. They left no survivors." The first replied grimly. Apparently the first woman was the leader of this particular group of gossiping ladies.

"Our little forest?"

"Yes, the west end."

"Don't you think someone should give them a proper burial?" The third asked.

"I do, but everyone in our village is much to fearful to enter the forest now that the bandits have struck. For all we know, the bandits could be camping there. I, myself, am thinking of relocating to another village." At this point Kagome began running towards the inn. She burst into the room they had rented and looked over to Inu Yasha.

"Inu Yasha! We have to go to the forest!" She said in a meaningful tone. The hanyou looked up as his ears perked.

"Why? Do you sense a shard of the Shikon jewel?" He asked hopefully.

"No and yes. But the village women! They said that there are demon hunters that were killed there!" She said, as if the point she was getting at was obvious.

"What do you mean, "no and yes"? Do you sense a jewel or not?"

"Yes, there is a jewel in the forest. But the village women-"

"All you have to go on is the word of a few gossipy old wives?" Inu Yasha interrupted her. Kagome sighed, exasperated.

"Would you just listen! There is a group of bandits there that-"

"You didn't answer my question."

"Inu Yasha! I-"

"I knew it! All you know is what you heard from your little gossip club! Honestly, you are such an idiot." Inu Yasha scoffed. Kagome immediately became engulfed in rage.

"How dare you! SIT, boy!" On command, the necklace around the hanyou's neck glowed and sparkled before he was sent plummeting into the mahogany inn floor boards.

"What the hell did you do that for?" He inquired angrily as he regained his composure somewhat and stood. The monk, who had been silent throughout the conversation, finally stood and struck Inu Yasha on the head with his staff. The half demon merely glared and snarled at the monk, who reacted calmly.

"Inu Yasha, the forest is in our direction anyway. If there truly is a jewel shard there, Kagome will sense it as we set out tomorrow. So no more feuding, get some rest because we leave early in the morning." Miroku said in an almost monotone voice before he set down on his thin straw bed and turned his back to the young girl and the demon.

-X-

The mist had lifted but the sky was still colored grey and dismal the morning the trio set out. The clouds gathered slowly over the minutes and had sooned formed a dark veil over the land, shadowing the village and surrounding forest and lake. The hanyou, the monk and the miko archer has been walking for quite some time without Kagome sensing any shards of the Jewel of Four Souls.

"Hmph. I knew it wasn't here." Inu Yasha scoffed arrogantly, causing Kagome to become angered again.

"Just because I can't sense it now doesn't mean it wasn't here! It _is_ possible that the bandits moved on, you know!" The young miko argued. Miroku rolled his eyes at their assinine feuding, but chuckled a little beneath his breath nonetheless.

"Whatever you say. I bet there never even was a bandit attack, or demon hunters for that matter. Idio-" The hanyou stopped midsentence. His steps also halted as he stood motionless in the middle of the weather worn trail. Miroku and Kagome both stared at him wide-eyed, unaware of the reason for his sudden silence.

The half demon sniffed the air, his ears perking up as if listening for a certain, minute sound. His eyes focused on the forest, his gaze determining the location from which the scent had been emanating.

"Inu Yasha? What do you smell?" Miroku inquired, curious.

"Blood," replied the hanyou, "and lots of it. And..." he sniffed the air again, "something else. Come on." He lept between the trees followed by his two now sprinting companions.

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End Chapter One


	2. A Gruesome Discovery

Authoress' Note: Greetings and salutations, readers! I am so pleased to know that you have read my story and do hope you enjoy it! If this chapter is not submitted immediately after the first, then it will be submitted the following night. My 2.5" Inu Yasha figure standing by my laptop is urging me to continue. I got him free of charge. Oh, what a wondrous world we inhabit! Read on!

Reminder: If two or three words are combined 'assuch', 'orassuch' the fault lies not with me but with the website and its QuickEdit 2.03 system.

WARNING: This fiction is rated PG-13 for mention of rape and other mature themes. Nothing graphic will be depicted, however. There will be no lemons, or at least no particularly described lemons. If you are still interested in reading and are in a sound state of mind to deal with the content of this story, please read on.

Disclaimer: The characters and places represented in this story are the property of Rumiko Takahashi, the ingenious mind behind the original graphic novel, _Inu Yasha_.

* * *

Speechless

Chapter Two:

A Gruesome Discovery

The half demon, Inu Yasha, bounded effortlessly through the forest, the twisted aroma of human blood strong in his nostrils. The monk, Miroku, and the miko archer, Kagome, kept the pace as best they could, sprinting behind their swift comrade and quickly losing their breath.

The hanyou stopped suddenly, the archer miko fell to her knees panting and the monk stood in wonderment, his chest rising and falling heavily. Before them laid dozens upon dozens of bodies, strewn all across the newly made clearing. Small fires still simmered in a few select patches of grass, blood blanketed the trunks of the trees, both the fallen and the standing.

Kagome gagged. It was the most gruesome sight she had ever seen. Some of the bodies were so badly wounded that you would not be able to recognize them had the victim been your own father. Miroku solemnly bowed his head in respect for the dead and Inu Yasha grimaced.

"Bandits could not have possibly done this much damage." The half demon stated matter-of-factly.

"I tried to tell you last night... they had the help of demons." Kagome explained, not willing herself to look up at theutterlydisgustingscene that was portrayed in front of her. Miroku lifted his head slowly and yet suddenly.

"Check for survivors." He stated calmly, his voice possessing a ghost like quality. Both Inu Yasha and Kagome nodded as the three set out in opposite directions.

-X-

Kagome had been searching for an hour at the least, but the grim realization grew larger with every passing minute. Her heart became heavier with every corpse she passed, and she was dangerously close to vomiting. Then suddenly, she reached a clearing. Only this clearing was natural.

No bloodied bodies littered the ground. It had a span of about a one hundred foot radius and seemed perfectly circular from Kagome's point of view. Then she saw it.

Another body.

She began to run towards it, not knowing why she felt compelled to it. It appeared strangely... clean. Unlike the others, it was not caked in blood nor blackened by fire.

As she drew nearer to it, she saw that it was the body of a young woman, perhaps two years older than she. As she had assumed, this body was not stained with blood. When the miko came close to the girl's body, she noticed the bruising around her shoulders, her neck, her arms, her stomach. Her entire body was tainted with these violent marks. Kagome could only see this because the girl was completely naked.

_Dear God. She must have been raped._ Kagome's heart dropped even further into the pit of her stomach as this thought hit her. She knelt down next to the girl dark haired girl and placed two fingers beneath her chin. Kagome gasped as she felt a slow but undeniable thumping beneath her fingers. _She's alive!_

Kagome immediately stood and looked around frantically.

"INU YASHA! MIROKU!" She yelled into the forest. "INU YASHA!" Like a flash, the silver haired half demon was running towards her. "Hurry! We have to get her back to the village or she won't make it!" Inu Yasha approached the girl and picked her up, apparently not caring that she was nude.

"I'll take her to the village, go find Miroku and meet me there!" Kagome nodded as Inu Yasha leapt off, carrying the girl as a groom carries his bride. Kagome ran back into the forest to retrieve Miroku.

-X-

After an hour of intense sprinting, Miroku and Kagome had finally reached the village at which they had resided the previous evening. Much to their discontent, however, they were told that Inu Yasha had not returned.

"That baka! If he's not here, where _could_ he be?" Kagome cried angrily into the night.

"Hmm... it is possible that he might have returned to Kaede's village." Miroku said, stroking his chin in thought.

"Why on earth would he have done that?" Kagome asked, some of her previous anger now displaced with confusion.

"Well, this village has no priestess. For better healing, it would be wise to see Kaede, not some mediocre doctor that resides here." He answered, sitting down.

"But getting to Kaede's village takes even longer than getting here."

"Not technically. Inu Yasha travels much faster than we do, and could probably make the journey in half the time. We should set out tomorrow morning to Kaede's village. ... Again." Miroku rose again and began walking towards the inn. Kagome sighed and began to follow him.

"Okay." She replied. _There's no arguing with logic._

-X-

The young girl stirred in her straw bed, sweat dripping down her face and seeping through the thin fabric of her clothes. She wimpered as she tossed and turned restlessly, tears beginning to form at the edge of her eyes. She clutched her blanket close to her, as if trying to protect herself from a monster attacking her in her dreams. Or rather, her nightmares.

At that moment, the hanyou walked through the door and looked first to the girl, then to the old woman seated next to her.

"Shouldn't you wake her up or something?" He said, a small tinge of concern in his tone, though it was covered by his usual arrogant none-chalance.

"I have tried, Inu Yasha, but no matter what I do she does not wake. She must wake in her own time, there is nothing ye nor I can do for her." She replied. Inu Yasha sighed and leaned against the wall, slinking down until he was sitting. It had been two days and two nights since he had brought the young woman from the forest to Kaede's village. Her wounds had been treated and bandaged, given a miko's garments to wear, but still she would not wake.

The sun peeked through the bamboo door flap, the early morning breeze sending a refreshing aroma into the hut. Suddenly, without warning, Kagome and Miroku burst through the small and narrow frame of the door. The young girl in the cot continued to jerk violently, her nails gripping so deeply into the fabric of the blanket that it appeared as if she might tear it. Tears flowed freely down her cheeks and her wimpers escalated in tone, though they sounded almost forced.

Kagome knelt down beside the girl, then looked to Kaede. "Wake her up!" She pleaded. Miroku watched the girl with pity and remorse.

Kaede sighed, "I cannot. She will not wake." She stated simply.

"Look at her! There must be a way to wake her up! She's crying, for God's sake!" At that precise moment, the girl gave a deep gasp that sounded almost like a scream and sat upright in her straw cot. Her eyes, moist from crying, burst open wide. She breathed in and out rapidly.

Kagome, Inu Yasha, Miroku and Kaede all stared at her with wide eyes, quite surprised by her sudden awakening.

Once her breathing had slowed somewhat, the girl looked around at her surroundings. The first person she saw was Kagome. The sight of another human frightened her so that she backed up, becoming tangled in her blankets, until she was huddled in the corner of the hut. She clutched her blanket close and covered up as much of her body as she could, although she was entirely clothed.

She continued to cry as Kagome approached her slowly, extending a gentle hand to her.

"It's okay. We're not bandits. We rescued you from the forest. What's your name?" The girl merely answered Kagome with wide and fearful eyes. Her almost maroon eyes darted first to Kagome's hand, then to her face and then back again. Then she looked over Inu Yasha, Miroku and Kaede in a panic, her gaze returning to Kagome in the end.

Cautiously, she pulled her blanket down just a smidge and extended her shaking hand to Kagome's. Her fingers brushed with the young miko's for less than a second before she quickly pulled her hand back and covered herself with the blanket once more.

No longer blinded by horror, Kagome and Inu Yasha finally could get a good look at her. Miroku, on the other hand, was viewing her for the first time.

He noted her long, dark chestnut hair, extending to her lower back. Her face was angelic, though... dangerous in a way that he could not entirely determine. Her eyes were a beautiful dark brown color, her nosesmall and perfectly shaped. But what really caught him was her lips. A delicate shade of pink, so seductive and yet so innocent at the same time. She was easily one of the most beautiful women he had ever seen. Perhaps even _the_ most beautiful.

The girl could feel Miroku's lingering gaze on her and looked at him. She wimpered fearfully and clutched her blanket even closer in an effort to protect herself from his glances. He blushed slightly and looked at the wall, suddenly becoming very interested in it. Kaede sighed.

"Perhaps it is best if ye leave. I shall explain to her what happened, and ye may all return later, when she has more time to make sense of these events." The three nodded, and all began to rise, save for Kagome. Slowly, the young archer miko turned to the old woman with sympathetic eyes. She gulped, wondering how to ask the question that had been tickling her mind since she had seen the girl.

"Kaede... was she?" She asked timidly. Miroku and Inu Yasha, puzzled, looked to Kaede for the answer to the anonymous question.

"Was she what?" Miroku asked. Kagome turned to him with venomous eyes and he immediately turned silent. The silence spread and filled the room, coating the air with discomfort and confusion. Kaede sighed again and stood, walked towards the door and held the flap of bamboo open for them.

"We will discuss this when ye return this evening. For now, go, enjoy yourselves, and I will console the girl." The three hesitantly and reluctantly exited the hut as Kaede turned back to the girl. The minute they exited the hut, they eagerly awaited their return, in hopes of discovering what the question meant, but more importantly, what the answer was.

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End Chapter Two


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